In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

(^66) In the FI)()/JtejJJ 0/ the Propbet
clan chiefs that Muslims were present among them and were determined.
Umar and H amzah, both known for their strong personalities, entered the
Kaba enclosure ahead of the group, and the Muslims prayed in a group
without anyone daring to interfere.
Banishment
Nevertheless, things had gone too far. The tension was rising daily, and
the Quraysh leaders, meeting to try to put an end to this slow expansion,
felt it necessary to take more radical m easures. T he first converts came
from all tribes, and this situation made it impossible to resort to a strate-
gy based on the usual alliances. After protracted discussions and heated
arguments, which themselves divided clans from within, they decided to
banish all the S anu Hashim, which was Muhammad's clan, and set up a
total boycott directed at the clan and its members.
A covenant was signed by about forty Q uraysh leaders and hung up
inside the Kaba to signal the solemnity and finality of the decision. Abu
Lahab, who himself belonged to the Hashim clan, decided to disavow his
clan and suPPOrt the banishment, a move that violated the traditional
honor code. Abu Talib adopted the opposite attitude and co ntinued to
support his nephew, thus obliging the Q uraysh to de facto include the
Muttalib clan in the boycott. T he decision was a radical one, fo r it meant
avoiding any contact \vlth members of the clan-they would no longer
marry their daughters and sons, trade with them, estab!.ish any other type
of contract, and so forth. The boycott was to be comprehensive and last
as long as the two clans allowed Muhammad to go on preaching his mes-
sage; they wanted him to put an end to his mission and never again refer
to the One God.
Fearing for their security, the Banu H ashim and Muttalib clans decided
to move together to the same area in the Mecca vaUey. Even though the
boycott was not total-relatives covertJ~ 1 had food and goods brought to
the Banu Hashim-the situation became serious, and more and more of
them suffered from sickness and hunger. The banishment lasted for more
than three years, and it economically weakened the twO clans. Abu Bake
had lost most of his fortune as a result of the boycott, and the social and
psychological pressures were unbearable.